A quarter of the NFL’s 32 teams will go into the 2013 season with a new head coach. Seven of those eight are first-time head coaches in the league. It will take a while to figure out which hires will be deemed successful, but it’s not too early to break down which hires are more promising than others.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that the man with the most (mostly winning) experience ranks at the top of the list:

Ranking the NFL coaching hires is tough business, but SN's Vinnie Iyer gives the edge to Andy Reid, who has a proven track record of success. (AP Photo)

1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs. One team’s “trash” is another’s team treasure. Reid’s fate in Philadelphia was sealed when it was evident the injury-riddled, defensively dysfunctional Eagles wouldn’t exceed the greater than 8-8 expectations from owner Jeffrey Lurie. But Reid wasn’t unemployed long as he also was the first coach hired.

At first glance, the Chiefs had to see the potential of becoming the consistent playoff contender the Eagles were for most of Reid’s tenure there. The bonus is getting a coach who knows to identify and develop quarterback talent—the glaring need and missing piece for a team that is strong in many other areas. Reid elevated former Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson to offensive coordinator to help him with that mission.

There was a thought the Chiefs would go to the 4-3 defense that Reid always has had in Philadelphia. But by bringing in former Jets assistant Bob Sutton to maintain the base 3-4 of predecessor Romeo Crennel, it keeps Kansas City in a comfortable scheme that fits the personnel. Expect a good first offseason from Reid and new general manager John Dorsey that will solve many of their offensive personnel problems.

2. Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers. Among the hot new candidates, no one was hotter than McCoy, and for good reasons. He’s young (40) and has had several good years honing his disciplined leadership skills under John Fox. His offensive acumen was more obvious based on his diverse body of work with Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning in Denver.

The Chargers had to fix their offense, which had gotten off track in the final three seasons of Norv Turner. The combination of McCoy and former Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator maintains a strong braintrust for Philip Rivers. Working with new general manager Tom Telesco, McCoy and Whisenhunt will focus on reconstructing the offensive line, receiving corps and running game to help Rivers. Not to be overlooked, it was a wise move to retain John Pagano as defensive coordinator. There was little wrong with the team’s 3-4 scheme in 2012.

3. Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles. When the Eagles decided to replace the steady Reid, they went for another big name with the hope of becoming spectacular. Enter Kelly, a straight-from-college gamble that’s more calculated than many think. Kelly isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel but rather take some of the principles that made him so successful at Oregon and implement them into the faster pace of the NFL. Kelly will take over the offensive play-calling, but his addition of former Browns coach Pat Shurmur maintains a link to the West Coast stylings of Reid. As his search for a defensive coordinator continues, Kelly expressed he wants someone with “shutout-ability”. The current state of the league is ripe for aggressive, innovative minds to thrive, and Kelly qualifies.

4. Rob Chudzinski, Cleveland Browns. The Browns’ new front-office rivalry with the Eagles heated up during the hiring process, but Cleveland ended up surprising everyone by not going high-profile. Chudzinski stamped his status working with Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, although Carolina’s offense took a step back in his second year. The key here was Chudzinski being able to bring in old Chargers colleague Turner as his offensive coordinator. Although there are questions about whether Brandon Weeden will remain the starting quarterback, running back Trent Richardson is a good piece around whom to build. Defensively, the Browns landed 3-4 defensive coordinator Ray Horton, fresh from a brilliant stint with the Cardinals.

5. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars. File this under the “most underrated hire.” Bradley’s work with a fast, physical and nasty Seahawks defense allowed to him to quickly ascend as a top candidate. His energy and fire is what helped him land one of the eight jobs. Bradley also tapped into good sources for his top two assistants, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch (University of Miami) and defensive coordinator Bob Babich (Chicago Bears). For the Jaguars to win quickly with Bradley, however, they must find a way to get competent quarterback play.

6. Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals. Arians gets his first crack at a full-time head-coaching gig at age 60. In his previous two stops as offensive coordinator, he had the pleasure of working with Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck. Finding someone similar will be difficult for a team that cycled Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer through its starting lineup in 2012. Arians deserved this opportunity, but it will require a lot of work from him and general manager Steve Keim to transform Arizona’s offense. It’s also bound to hurt that the Cardinals moved on from Horton with Todd Bowles.

7. Marc Trestman, Chicago Bears. Trestman, 57, is certainly experienced, with 17 years working for eight franchises. In his four years as a Canadian Football League head coach in Montreal, he made the Alouettes two-time Grey Cup champions. But does he really put the Bears in a better position to win games than Lovie Smith? They have been obsessed with fixing their offense for a long time. When the frequent changing of coordinators and trading for both Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall hasn’t worked as well as they like, they were frustrated to the point of bringing in Trestman for his extensive offensive background. Smith went 84-66, won three division titles and a conference title. He was well-liked, but the high demands of coaching in Chicago caused him to be fired after going 18-14 the past two years. Trestman will need to work well with Cutler and produce right away to avoid a short stay.

8. Doug Marrone, Buffalo Bills. Marrone earned his NFL stripes as the Saints’ offensive coordinator from 2006-08. The Bills convinced him to leave Syracuse, where he went just 25-25 with the Orange in four seasons. He brought with him his offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, in an attempt to improve over Chan Gailey. The Bills are trying to tap into their successful offensive past, as Hackett uses the “K-Gun”, best associated with four-time AFC champion quarterback Jim Kelly. Now the question is whether Syracuse prospect Ryan Nassib will join Marrone and Hackett as the Bills’ next starting quarterback. Buffalo is struggling to find the right mix to end a long playoff drought, and this hire is far from inspiring.